Suction cleaner brush



March 9, E937. E. F. MARTINE-rY l 2,072,956

SUCTION CLEANER BRUSH Filed Oct. 6, 1935 A (g1/mundo@ E ari/Zei Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES SUCTION CLEANER BRUSH Eugene F. Martinet, Cleveland, Ohio, assigner to The P. A. Geier Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a`

corporation of Chio Application October 6, 1933, Serial No. 692,482

3 Claims.

The invention relates to brushes for suction cleaners, and more particularly to a rotary brush adapted to be journalled in the suction nozzle of the cleaner, and this application is al continuation 5 in part of the common subject matter of my prior application, Serial No. 623,804, filed July 21, 1932, entitled Suction cleaning apparatus.

For general purposes, it is desirable to provide a suction cleaner having a rotary, preferably motor driven brush mounted in its suction nozzle for quick and easy detachement therefrom.

It is likewise desirable to have the brush adjustable with respect to the nozzle, so that the position of the brush may be adjusted relative to the surface being cleaned to compensate for bristle wear and/or surface characteristics.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a detachably and adjustably mounted rotary brush in asuction cleaner nozzle, arranged so that the position of the brush with respect to the nozzle and the surface being cleaned may be adjusted to compensate for bristle wear and/or surface characteristics.

In certain prior suction cleaner constructions embodying a rotary brush in the suction nozzle, the fine dust or dirt particles passing through the nozzle have had access to the bearings of the brush, with the result that these particles may collect and build up in the bearings to the extent of clogging and slowing down or even stopping the rotation of the brush.

Where the brush is driven by the motor of the cleaner, this clogged condition of the brush bearings increases the load on the motor and consequently reduces the efficiency of the cleaner.

This difficulty has been overcome by the construction disclosed herein and in my prior applicatio, Serial No. 623,804, in which hub caps are journalled on brush axle pins, and inA which the hub caps are provided with inwardly extending annular flanges that surround and enclose cylindrical bosses on the ends of the brush. Such a construction eiectively seals the bearings for the hub caps on the axle pins against the collection of dust and dirt.

However, I have found that hair, long threads, string and the like, which are picked up by the cleaner or by the brush thereof, wind around the brush and the ends thereof and collect about the hub caps and between the sealing or shielding flanges thereof and the brush bosses; with the result that rotation of the brush is retarded and in some cases even stopped, thus reducing the eff ciency of the cleaner.

ent invention to provide Aa brush construction in which the collection of dustparticles in and around the brush bearings is substantially eliminated; and in which the collection of threads, string; hair andthe like around the Vbrush hub 5 caps is eliminated.

And finally, it is an object of the present invention vto provide a suction cleaner brush incorporating the foregoing objectives in a simple, compact and inexpensive construction, which is quick- 10 lyand easily adjusted or replaced.

These and other objects are accomplished by theimpro'vements comprising the present invention, which may be stated in general terms as including in a detachable suction cleaner brush 1;

construction, an eccentric bearing mounting for the brush including a hub cap, means for shielding the brush bearings from dust and dirt, and means for shielding the hub caps from the collection of threads, string, hair and the like. 20

Referring to the drawing forming part hereof Figure 1 isa fragmentary side elevation of a suction cleaner embodying the presentl improvements, part of the nozzlev being shown in section, as on line l-I, Flg. 2;

Fig. 2 is a section through'the brush nozzle, taken substantially on line 2.2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 2, showing one of the brush mountings and the shielding and sealing means therefor; and

Fig. 4is a transverse section thereof, taken on line 4-4, Fig. 3. v

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A usual type of suction cleaner is shown in Fig. 1, comprising a motor in a' motor housing I0, and a fan in the fan housing l IA mounted on the motor shaft. An operating handle is connected to the handle bracket I2, and a dust bag (not shown) is' connected to the exhaust side of the fan housing ll. The motor housing l0 and the fan housing Il'are mounted on front casters vI3 andan adjustable rear caster I4.

The brushv nozzle includes walls forming a tubular neck l5, and an elongated brush housing suction mouth i6. The improved rotary brush is indicated generally at l'l, is provided with bristles i8, and is detachably and adjustably rotatably mounted in .thesuctlon mouth I6.

Thebrush I1 is preferably motor driven, as shown in the drawing, and is provided with a crown pulley rib i9, around which an endless preferably rubber belt 20 passes; and the belt 2li passes around a shaft 2| 'preferably detachably con- The rotary brush l1 is preferably removably and adjustably mounted in the brush housing nozzle mouth Il by means of an end bearing construction shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The brush member I1 includes a shaft |1a preferably of woodhaving enlarged end shanks 22 each provided with an annular end-opening groove 23 forming the inner cylindrical boss portion 24 and the outer annular flange 25, preferably projecting longitudinally outward slightly beyond the cylindrical bos's portion u.

A cup-shaped ferrule member 25 is tightly fitted over each cylindrical boss portion 24 for preventing the ends of the wooden shaft Il from splitting, and an axial' hole 21 is then provided in each end of Athe shaft I1a through the ferrule 25 into which an axle pin 28 is driven to make a tight fit.

A bearing block 29, preferably octagonally shaped in cross section as shown in Fig. 4, is journalled on each pin 28 by the bore 30, which is preferably eccentrically located through each block, the blocks being retained on the pins 28 abutting the adiacent ferrules 26 by split rings 3| mounted on the outer end of each pin.

An annular hub cap 32 having a preferably squared tubular shank 33 is mounted on and encloses each block 29 so as to enclose the outer end of axle pins 23, and the squared shank 33 of each hub cap is preferably' eccentrically located on the hub cap 32 to correspond with the eccentric location of the bore 30 through the block 29.

The annular flange portion 34 of each hub cap extends well into the adjacent annular groove 23 in the brush shaft Ha, so that the open end of the hub cap is shielded by the annular flange 25.

A integral brush mounting clip 35, preferably U-shaped in cross section with spring retaining fingers 35, is rigidly mounted by rivets 31 on each inner end of the brush housing nozzle mouth I5, and each U-shaped spring fingered clip 35 forms substantially three sides of a square with a restricted entrance opening between the fingers 35 as shown in Fig. 4, for receiving the squared shanks 33 of the hub caps 32 mounted' on the axle pins 23.

When the brush -is mounted in the brush housing nozzle mouth, the blocks 29 are maintained stationary with respect to the nozzle walls by means of the clips 35, while the axle pins 28 are stationary with respect to the brush shaft I1a and rotate in the bearing blocks 29 when the brush is rotated, as by the drive belt 20.

By detaching shaft 2| and removing it from the brush housing nozzle I6, the belt 20 is released and the brush I1 may be readily removed from the nozzle for any desired purpose. Likewise, by reason of the eccentricity of the outer squared surface of the hub cap shanks 33 with respect to the axle pins 23, the hub cap shanks .33 maybe inserted into the U-shaped brush mounting clips 35 in any one of each of four positions, which will locate the axis of the brush at different levels with respect to the plane of mouth of the brush housing nozzle; and in this manner the brush may be adjusted to compennected to the motor shaft. for driving the brush.A

sate. for bristle wear or particular characteristi of the surface being cleaned.

Moreover, the bearings of the brush are shielded or sealed against the collection of dust 'and dirt by the inwardly extending annular flanges 34 of the hub caps 32, which surround the ferrule reinforced bosses 24 of the brush. l Likewise,.the hubgy caps are shielded or sealed against the collection of hair, long threads, string and the like, at the inner ends-of the flanges 34 thereof, and between the flanges 34 and ferrule members 26 by the outwardly extending annular anges 25 of the enlarged end shanks 22 lof the brush.

Also the flanges 25 increase the sealing effect for the brush bearings against the collection.

of dust and dirt particles in and around the A Same.

It has been found in actual practice that in a suction cleaner embodying the present improved shielding and sealing means, the collection of dust and dirt particles in and around the brush bearings is eliminated, and the collection of string, threads, hair and the like around the brush hub caps is also eliminated, so that a high operating efficiency of the cleaner is continuously maintained.

The present improved suction cleaner brush is simple, compact and inexpensive in construction, land may be quickly and easily adjusted or replaced by inexperienced or unskilled persons.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner including a nozzle, a rotatable brush within the nozzle provided with a cup-shaped reinforcing ferrule at each end, an axle pin in each end of the brush extending through the adjacent ferrule, a block eccentrically journaled on each pin abutting the adjacent ferrule, a squared hub cap mounted on each block, and integral U-shaped spring clips in the nozzle detachably mounting the hub caps therein.

2. In a suction cleaner including a nozzle, a rotatable brush within the nozzle, the brush including a shaft, each end of the shaft being provided with an outwardly opening annular groove. a hub cap rotatably journaled on each end of the shaft, each .hub cap having a squared shank eccentric to the shaft and an annular flange extending into said annular groove, and an integral U-shaped spring clip rigidly mounted on each end of the nozzle, each clip having a squared portion selectively and detachably mounting a hub cap shank in the nozzle in a plurality of different end of the nozzle, each clip having a squared porf tion with a restricted entrance opening selectively and detachably mounting a hub cap shank in the nozzle in a plurality of diflerentpositions.

' EUGENE F. MARTINET. 

